Current 93: Black Ships Ate the Sky
Apocalyptic neo-folk. Highly theatrical concept album; David Tibet was supposedly inspired by a dream. This album features oodles of guests. Nine versions of the hymn “Idumæa”, sung by various guests who each bring out a different shade of the meditation on death. This is not happy music…bleak and beautiful. Unsettling. Tibet’s vocals lie somewhere between theatrical narrative and deathly singing. Most of the songs relate Tibet’s vision of the end times, using biblical imagery and motifs from antiquity. Enigmatic symbolism…don’t ask me what it’s all about. Tibet sings like he’s presiding over some sort of ritual…the most unsettling thing is that he seems to alternately relish and dread the destruction he narrates. This is heavy stuff. Play #9, 21, 11, 5, 18; FCC: #11 bullsh*t, lots of stuff about bodily disfigurement on many tracks.
1) 3:22 – “Idumæa”. chilling apocalyptic hymn sung by Marc Almond.
2) 3:18 – dramatic, brooding folk. Acoustic guitar picking, expressive strings, emotive, but resigned vox.
3) 3:38 – dulcimer + acoustic plucking? Frightening + disturbing. Instrumental layer loops, but seems more sinister each time.
4) 3:58 – brooding narrative. Repetitive.
5) 2:42 – will Oldham version of “Idumæa”. Naked dread. Sparse banjo, tabla.
6) 4:03 – same tone as #2-4. more intense strings. Quicker.
7) 3:57 – didgeridoo + compressed vox. Sounds like Tibet’s whispering a report from the front through a walkie-talkie. Strings + random shufflings low in the mix.
8) 4:19 – Baby Dee version of “Idumæa”. Harp + choir boy-like singing. Violins enter.
9) 2:30 – pretty folk guitar melody provides odd counterpoint to minor vox. Dramatic strings, odd lyrics about animals. Most sing-song like track w/a refrain.
10) 2:02 – “Idumæa” w/ Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) version. A capella w/ harmony. Warbling
11) 4:07 – cool guitar interplay w/ triplet harmonics. Rushed, off-putting vox w/scary as hell rambling. Weird alpine horn blasts and ethereal background vox fades out to end for last 20 seconds. FCC bullsh*t.
12) 3:19 – starts w/ vox that bleeds over from #11. slow plucking. Ambient noise/marimba tones in background. Lyrics describing animal mutilation w/ sing-speak lyrics.
13) 2:35 –“Idumæa” sung by Clodagh Simonds. English folk version w/accordion drone.
14) 11:05 - slower, mellow. Simple plucking, string arrangements. Theatrical, almost spoken vox. With 6:15 left, vox drops out; quiet strings. Weird vox low in mix builds up. Burst of dissonant strings at 4:14 w/ distorted vox. Then quiet string drone until 2:16, when low female vox enters. Dreamy, spooky. Bleeds into next track
15) 0:57 – Antony sings again. Warm piano. moment of repose.
16) 3:06 – “Idumæa” w/ Pantaleimon. Intimate female vox. Sober. Gentle strings.
17) 4:41 – distorted Tibet vox w/guitar and buzzing drones.
18) 1:50 -“Idumæa” sung by Tibet. Pensive folk guitar. Almost an interlude.
19) 4:30 – HEAVY (but kinda sparse). Pulsing + pounding electric guitar. Tibet sounds sinister, but scared as hell. Shrieking guitar solo thing 1:00 into piece.
20) 2:48 – simple folk guitar repose after #19. Tibet sounds calm + wise.
21) 2:42 -“Idumæa” sung by Shirley Collins. Accordion. Sounds like a sea shanty. Awesome vox captures hymnal quality of song. Voice is that of someone who’s been around too long and seen too much.